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Somatic and psychiatric treatment of asthma
Book Reviews Somatic
and Psychiatric
1951,
Baltimore.
Treatment The
Williams
of Asthma, and
Wilkins
Co.
Edited by 751 pp.
Harold $11.00.
A.
Abramson,
M.D.,
The prevalent custom of collaboration in writing of medical books reaches an extreme in this volume in which 34 authors contribute to the discussion of treatment of a single disease. The result is a collection of essays on numerous subjects more or less related to the title of the book, rather than an integrated account of the main topic. Considered individually, some of the chapters are excellent, some unduly wordy, some belabor personal prejudices at length. After all of this, the reader is left without a clear practical idea of how to treat asthma. One hundred and fifty pages devoted to basic concepts contain a large amount of material on the physiology and psychodynamics of respiration, experimental asthma and experimental neurosis, but less than one page is devoted to the pathology of the disease under discussion, and none to the pharmacology of the drugs employed in its treatment. The classification of types of asthma remains confused throughout the book. Asthma due to chemicals, sera, and biologicals is classed as intrinsic asthma. The classification of There is no infective asthma is accepted by some and rejected by other contributors. specific discussion of its treatment. Penicillin aerosols are discussed at length but no specific recommendations are made concerning their use in asthma. The administration of antibiotics by other routes is not discussed. Radical surgical treatment of sinusitis associated with severe asthma is advised by one author and questioned by another. Despite the title, psychiatric treatment of asthma is not given a predominant position. The existence of purely psychogenic asthma is questioned, and psychic factors are considered contributory causes in asthma which is associated with an antibody mechanism. The section on psychotherapy comprises less than one-tenth of the text.
Immunology Mosby
by N. Co., pp.
P. Sherwood, 731, $8.00.
Ph.D.,
M.D.,
3rd
Edition,
1951,
St.
Louis,
The
C.
1’.
This textbook, designed for the medical student, contains considerable material of interest to the allergist seeking to refresh or enlarge his knowledge of fundamental principles. Unfortunately, modern quantitative methods of preeipitin determinations and complement fixation are not included, and without them the quantitative viewpoint is lost. The chapter on allergy .is remarkable inasmuch as it includes discussions of “correct breathing ’ ’ and ACTH as treatments of asthma but there is no description of hyposensitization by injections of allergens. Numerous references are given for extensive study of the subjects discussed.
486
and Psychiatric
1951,
Baltimore.
Treatment The
Williams
of Asthma, and
Wilkins
Co.
Edited by 751 pp.
Harold $11.00.
A.
Abramson,
M.D.,
The prevalent custom of collaboration in writing of medical books reaches an extreme in this volume in which 34 authors contribute to the discussion of treatment of a single disease. The result is a collection of essays on numerous subjects more or less related to the title of the book, rather than an integrated account of the main topic. Considered individually, some of the chapters are excellent, some unduly wordy, some belabor personal prejudices at length. After all of this, the reader is left without a clear practical idea of how to treat asthma. One hundred and fifty pages devoted to basic concepts contain a large amount of material on the physiology and psychodynamics of respiration, experimental asthma and experimental neurosis, but less than one page is devoted to the pathology of the disease under discussion, and none to the pharmacology of the drugs employed in its treatment. The classification of types of asthma remains confused throughout the book. Asthma due to chemicals, sera, and biologicals is classed as intrinsic asthma. The classification of There is no infective asthma is accepted by some and rejected by other contributors. specific discussion of its treatment. Penicillin aerosols are discussed at length but no specific recommendations are made concerning their use in asthma. The administration of antibiotics by other routes is not discussed. Radical surgical treatment of sinusitis associated with severe asthma is advised by one author and questioned by another. Despite the title, psychiatric treatment of asthma is not given a predominant position. The existence of purely psychogenic asthma is questioned, and psychic factors are considered contributory causes in asthma which is associated with an antibody mechanism. The section on psychotherapy comprises less than one-tenth of the text.
Immunology Mosby
by N. Co., pp.
P. Sherwood, 731, $8.00.
Ph.D.,
M.D.,
3rd
Edition,
1951,
St.
Louis,
The
C.
1’.
This textbook, designed for the medical student, contains considerable material of interest to the allergist seeking to refresh or enlarge his knowledge of fundamental principles. Unfortunately, modern quantitative methods of preeipitin determinations and complement fixation are not included, and without them the quantitative viewpoint is lost. The chapter on allergy .is remarkable inasmuch as it includes discussions of “correct breathing ’ ’ and ACTH as treatments of asthma but there is no description of hyposensitization by injections of allergens. Numerous references are given for extensive study of the subjects discussed.
486